CALL TO ACTION – Canadian Border Services Agency – Port Hours

banner image

We are calling all citizens in Shaunavon and the surrounding area to action! The purpose of this communication is to rally businesses and consumers to share our concerns about the limited hours of operation at our extremely vital local border crossings – Port of Climax and Port of Monchy, in the Province of Saskatchewan.

During the pandemic, the services at these two crucial border crossings were decreased to Monday to Friday for 8 hours a day. Given the circumstances during the pandemic, this change made sense given the restrictions placed on travel. North America is now moving forward, and it is time to provide services, at the very least, back to normal operational days and hours. We need to ensure we provide the opportunity for our economies to grow, not restrict them.

This geographical area is critical to the economy and tourism for Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan has rich industries in oil, agriculture, manufacturing, retail, tourism and more, that depend on travel across the border to maintain the flow of goods and services. Having these local border crossings closed on Saturdays and Sundays and limited hours on week days has direct negative impacts on our economy and tourism, as it limits access for businesses, residents and tourists to cross the border during some of the busiest travel times.

We need YOUR help in lobbying to the Federal Government to urge them to take the necessary steps to extend the hours of operation at the Port of Climax and Port of Monchy to be open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We urge all citizens in Shaunavon and the surrounding area to write letters outlining the concern and needs for adequate service at the Port of Climax and Port of Monchy, as anything less is unacceptable.

Send letters to the following:

cc:

The Honorable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; Justin.Trudeau@parl.gc.ca

Honorable Jeremy Patzer; M.P. Cypress Hills – Grasslands; Jeremy.patzer.cl@parl.gc.ca

Honorable Doug Steele, MLA Cypress Hills; steelemla@sasktel.net

Jonathan Potts of Tourism Saskatchewan, Chief Executive Officer; Jonathan.potts@tourismsask.com

Southwest Transportation Planning Council Inc; swtpc@sasktel.net

Minister of Public Safety – The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino; marco.mendicino@parl.gc.ca